College Football 2011: Year of the Quarterback

College football in 2009 was often referred to as the "Year of the Quarterback."

After all, the game's headline names were Florida's Tim Tebow (the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner), Texas' Colt McCoy and Oklahoma's Sam Bradford, who took home the trophy that season.

Fast-forward to 2011, and the situation is similar, though with even more depth.

With Oregon's LaMichael James temporarily out with a dislocated elbow and South Carolina's Marcus Lattimore now out for the year with a knee injury, the possibility exists that Alabama tailback Trent Richardson could be the only non-quarterback to finish in the top 10 of the Heisman voting.

Perhaps that isn't fair, as the stiff arm is supposed to go to college football's best player.

Charles Woodson (Michigan defensive back/kick returner, 1997) excepted, though, it only has been awarded to the game's top offensive player; thus the tremendous campaigns being put together by players like Louisiana State defensive back Tyrann Mathieu and South Carolina defensive lineman Melvin Ingram (just to name two) probably will be ignored when it is time to hand out the Heisman.

With that said, there are quite a few quarterbacks making a legitimate case for the award. Here are 10 listed in no specific order.

Andrew Luck

NAME: Andrew Luck

SCHOOL: Stanford

YEAR: Senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'4"/235 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Luck is 129-of-181 for 1,719 yards with 18 touchdowns and three interceptions. He needs 368 yards to surpass the 8,000-yard mark for his career.

COMMENT: Luck is a special talent who was projected to be selected ahead of 2010 Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton in last April's NFL draft. Some NFL scouts have called Luck the best quarterback prospect to come out of the college ranks in a decade.

Robert Griffin III

NAME: Robert Griffin III

SCHOOL: Baylor

YEAR: Junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'2"/220 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Griffin has completed 142 of 182 passes for 1,950 yards with 22 touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has carried 72 times for 295 yards (4.1 YPC) and two touchdowns.

COMMENT: Like Florida running back Jeff Demps, Griffin is an accomplished track athlete. He is one of the best hurdlers in college, and this season he has seen his stock as an NFL prospect grow immensely.

Ryan Tannehill

NAME: Ryan Tannehill

SCHOOL: Texas A&M

YEAR: Senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'4"/222 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Tannehill has completed 141 of 210 passes for 1,742 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also has rushed for at least 55 yards in each of his last four games.

COMMENT: Tannehill may not have been all that well known nationally prior to this season, but he has been on the radar of NFL scouts. He is listed in the second tier of quarterbacks behind Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oklahoma's Landry Jones.

Landry Jones

NAME: Landry Jones

SCHOOL: Oklahoma

YEAR: Junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'4"/229 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Jones has completed 171 of 253 passes for 2,177 yards with 16 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. Recently, he surpassed the 10,000-yard passing mark for his career.

COMMENT: Andrew Luck might be the projected No. 1 overall pick in next April's NFL draft, but scouts say Jones has moved up boards, possibly into the top five. He also could join Sam Bradford as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks out of Oklahoma since 2009.

Russell Wilson

NAME: Russell Wilson

SCHOOL: Wisconsin

YEAR: Senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5'11"/201 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: The leader of the nation's top-scoring offense, Wilson has completed 95 of 128 passes for 1,557 yards with 14 touchdowns and one interception. He also has 182 yards rushing and two touchdowns in 2011.

COMMENT: A transfer from North Carolina State, Wilson also is a minor league baseball player. For many years, Wisconsin's offense has been built around a mammoth offensive line and a power running game. Wilson brings athleticism to the quarterback position that hasn't been seen in Madison in the past.

Denard Robinson

NAME: Denard Robinson

SCHOOL: Michigan

YEAR: Junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'1"/193 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Robinson has completed 76 of 141 passes for 1,253 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also has rushed for 762 yards and nine touchdowns.

COMMENT: Nicknamed "Shoelace," Robinson can be an erratic passer (he was 7-of-18 against Eastern Michigan) but also can be very much on-target (he went 15-of-19 against Minnesota). What scares opponents most are his legs, and those are what have moved the Deerfield Beach, Fla. native into the Heisman discussion.

Kellen Moore

NAME: Kellen Moore

SCHOOL: Boise State

YEAR: Senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'1"/191 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Moore has completed 151 of 199 passes for 1,729 yards with 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. If, somehow, Moore can throw for at least 2,404 yards the rest of the season, he will reach 15,000 for his career.

COMMENT: Moore isn't considered a top-level NFL prospect, but he has been an outstanding college quarterback. He is much like 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel of Florida in that regard.

Case Keenum

NAME: Case Keenum

SCHOOL: Houston

YEAR: Senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'2"/210 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Keenum has completed 170 of 238 passes for 2,309 yards with 17 touchdowns and no interceptions. He has eclipsed the 300-yard mark in every game this season and has passed for at least 415 yards in three of his six games.

COMMENT: Keenum is a sixth-year senior who is back after missing 2010 with a serious knee injury. He has led Houston to an undefeated record. If his knee tests out fully healthy, look for an NFL team to take a shot on him.

Nick Foles

NAME: Nick Foles

SCHOOL: Arizona

YEAR: Senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'5"/240 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Foles has completed 201 of 281 passes for 2,255 yards with 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. He threw for 398 yards in each game against highly ranked Oregon and Oklahoma State.

COMMENT: Arizona has been victorious just once this season, but Foles, who has passed for the second-most yards in college football this season (behind Houston's Case Keenum), has played very well nonetheless. He is also considered a potential first-round draft pick by NFL scouts.

Matt Barkley

NAME: Matt Barkley

SCHOOL: Southern California

YEAR: Junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'2"/220 pounds

PERTINENT STATISTICS: Barkley has completed 152 of 223 passes for 1,782 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. In a showdown with Arizona's Nick Foles, Barkley completed 32 of 39 passes for 468 yards and four touchdowns.

COMMENT: Despite USC being placed on probation prior to the season, Barkley has not let his play be affected. Barkley is also considered a potential first-round draft pick from a school that has produced many in recent years, including Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Mark Sanchez.